New
military mortuary being builtDover
Air Force Base facility will be state-of-the-art and larger29 March 2003

Construction should
be completed by June at Dover Air Force Base's new $20 million mortuary,
and Army Corps of Engineers officials led a tour through the facility Friday
to reveal some of the enhancements it will provide for the military's largest
such operation.

As they steered guests
through what will be hospital-quality radiology units, autopsy and embalming
facilities, workers at the old Charles C. Carson Center for Mortuary Affairs
nearby were preparing to receive more remains from the war in Iraq.

Within the past five
days, Dover's working mortuary has received the remains of 24 troops -
18 Marines and Army soldiers killed in the war in Iraq and six Air Force
troops killed in a helicopter crash during a mission to bring medical aid
to children in Afghanistan. More remains were expected around midnight
Friday, according to base spokeswoman Lt. Olivia Nelson.

Dover is designated
to receive all casualties from the war.

Officials said the
new building - and the $10 million of new equipment it will contain - will
streamline the mortuary staff's ability to prepare remains for return to
families and loved ones. It is expected to be fully operational by October.

"If you have any
idea of how discombobulated the current building is, you know the process
is very inefficient," said Tom Lavender of the Army Corps of Engineers,
which is overseeing the project.

Lavender said the
present mortuary has been pieced together since the Vietnam War.

"We've taken lessons
learned from that building ... and we will have a very, very efficient
flow through this building," he said.

The mortuary project
was to begin in 2004. But the 9/11 terrorist attacks moved the project
to the "double fast-track," said Lt. Josh Kuper of the 436th Civil Engineering
Squadron, who has worked on the project with Army Corps engineers and Wilmington-based
Nason Construction Co.

When complete, the
facility will cover 70,000 square feet and will be about twice the size
of the current mortuary, said Joe Zurzolo, project engineer for the Army
Corps.

Among the design
features are a new screening area for remains that are just arriving. Because
many are coming straight from combat, the remains are scanned before processing
begins to determine whether any unexploded ordnance was undetected. In
the new facility, that scanning will take place in a 12-inch-thick, steel-reinforced
concrete bunker with blast-proof doors and windows, giving workers maximum
protection.

"Because this is
the only stateside mortuary for the military, an accident in this facility
disrupts a lot of things," Zurzolo said.

The new mortuary
will include state-of-the-art digital imaging equipment, enhanced ventilation
to protect workers from vapors, an entry area equipped with briefing rooms,
counseling rooms and places for escorts and military officials to relax
as they wait for remains to arrive or depart.

Storage capacity
also is enhanced at the new facility, Zurzolo said. Refrigerated facilities
will be available for storage of more than 100 remains. After the embalming
process, 200 to 500 remains can be stored while awaiting transport to their
hometowns or Arlington National Cemetery.

Zurzolo said he hopes
the need for that kind of capacity will never arise.

"My hope is when
I get done with this building, it remains empty forever," he said.

But when casualties
occur, Kuper said, families can rest assured the remains of their loved
one will be treated with dignity and honor.

"These are our brothers
and sisters at arms," Kuper said. "They have given the ultimate sacrifice.
... And you want them treated exactly the best. You want to do it better,
quicker, faster and you want to get them home with the utmost respect."